Collapsible basket.



W. B. SCHREYER.

COlLAPSIBLE BASKET. APPLICATION man 050.21. 1915.

1,220,464. Patented Mar. 27, 1917.

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" WALTER B. SGHREYER,` or DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

ooLLAPsIBLE BASKET.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 2?, 1917.

Application led December 21, 1915. Serial No. 68,032.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, VALTEB B. SCHREYER,

(whose post-office address is 161 West.

skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The invention relates to improvements in receptacles, and more particularly to that type of such receptacles designated in the art as baskets An object of the invention is to provide a receptacle of the character mentioned which is capable of being collapsed, or otherwise folded, into a relatively small compass, whereby the same may be lmore readily stored away, when not in use, vor suitably stacked in piles 'or tiers for purposes of display, or for transportation, such vas cannot obtain in the present known constructions of such receptacles.'

A further object of the-invention is to provide a basket of the aforesaid type which is so constructed as to entirely eliminate any possibility of the collapse of the same, when in set-up position, under ordinary conditions of use, or as long as it is so desired.

The invention contemplates a receptacle comprising a relatively strong bottom wall, of any desired configuration and constructed of any suitable material, preferably, how-V ever, elliptical in form and of wood, a flange conforming to the contour of the bottom wall and rising above the plane of the upper face of the same, a series of oppositely disposed side wall sections, each slightly longer than the flange, of the bottom wall, and with respect to each other, so that their adjacent edges overlap, to a small degree, when the sections are assembled in set-up position, and a pair of handles or bails, mounted for independent movement on a commony pivot, each pivotally connected to adjacent ends of a set of the side wall sections, and, when arranged in operative position, aline, one with the other, in a manner which admits of both being grasped by one hand for the transporting of the basket, and the retention of the latter in its set-up condition.

With the foregoing and other chieste in view, the invention resides in the certain new and novel construction as will be hereinafter more fully described, set forth in the appended claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which,

Figure l is a perspective view of a preferred form of the invention.

Fig.2v is a vertical longitudinal-section of the same, in set-up position and in semi-collapsed position, as shown in dotted lines,

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan view thereof in its collapsed state,

Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal section, showing the basket in collapsed position,

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary detail, partly in section, showing the bar and the connecting means between the same and the several side wall sections.

Referring to the drawing, in which similar characters of reference designate corresponding parts in the several views thereof, the numeral l0- represents a basket bottom, preferably constructed of wood and elliptical in form, as shown, provided with a flange -11-, of sheet-metal, wood, cardboard or the like, surrounding the edge thereof, and secured thereto in any suitable manner. A pair of handles or bails 12m are pivoted, as at -13-, at diametrically opposite points on the transverse .center of the bottom wall -10-, and are adapted for independent movement, from a centrally alined position in a plane perpendicular to that of the bottom wall, in opposite directions to a positionA in the horizontal plane of the latter. -Pivotally connected to the vertical 'members of each pair of handles or bails -12-, as at -14-, are the' opposite ends Vof one or more pairs of oppositely disposed side wall sections --15,A each pair being arranged in stepped relation with respect to one another and with the flange *11-, but in a manner to slightly overlap at their adjacent edges, as at -16-, when supported in set-up position.

Each set of the side wall sections 415-, together with the flange -11-, are interconnected by means of `bars or strips 1Q- provided with eyes or links -18-, which are adapted to engage 'similar eyes or links -17* secured in the upper edges of the several sections and the flange, as shown, the points of such interconnection being, preferably, alined in a plane with the longitudinal center of the basket.

With the basket in aeteip position, as ln Ioo Figs. 1 and 2, and it is desired to collapse the same for storage, or to prepare the same for shipment, the handles or bails -12* are grasped by the hands in a manner to admit of their being separated, or pulled apart, from their normally alined or overlapped position, and are moved away from each other, toward the opposite ends of the bottom wall -10-, and downwardly until they each lie in the plane of the latter. With this movement, the side wall sections -l5- are slid outwardly and downwardly with their respective handles or bails until they occupy a horizontally alined position in the aforesaid plane of the bottom wall, between the ends of the latter and their operating handles or bails, after which, the basket is ready to be stored away, or is in condition for the piling thereon of similarly collapsed baskets, as in the packing of the same for transportation in railway cars or similar vehicles.

With the side wall sections l5- in collapsed state, their respective connecting bars or strips -19- rest upon their upper edges in a horizontal plane and in alinement with the longitudinal center of the bottom wall -10, as shown in Fig. 4:, and the same are of a size such as will not unduly interfere with the proper stacking, or otherwise storing away of any desired number of the baskets. Y,

When the basket, thus constructed, is in set-up position, the handles or bails are grasped in the usual manner, and, by reason of their overlapped relation, the side walls are securely retained against practically all possible chance of accidental separation.

Changes in details, of construction are contemplated, so that no undue limitation should be understood from the foregoing detailed description of the invention.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed, is

l. A collapsible basket comprising a bottom wall and a plurality of pairs of side wall sections each disposed in parallelism above the bottom wall, and means for moving said side wall sections to and from a collapsed position.

2. A collapsible basket comprising a bottom wall and a plurality of pairs of side wall sections each disposed in parallelism above the bottom wall and in slightly overlapped relation with respect to each other, and means for movingsaid side wall sections to and from a collapsed position.

3. A collapsible basket comprising a bottom wall, a flange rising from said bottom wall, a plurality of pairs of side wall sections each disposed in parallelism above the bottom wall and in slightly overlapped relation with respect to said flange and to each other, and means for moving said side wall sections to and from a collapsed position.

4c. A collapsible basket comprising a bottom wall, and a plurality of pairs of side wall'sections each disposed in parallelism above the bottom wall and in slight overlapped relation with respect to each other, means interconnecting the oppositely disposed sections of the several `pairs of said side wall sections, and means for moving said side wall sections to and from a collapsed position.

5. A collapsible basket comprising a bottom wall, a. flange rising from said bottom wall, a plurality of pairs of side wall sections each disposed in parallelism above the bottom wall and in slightly overlapped relation with respect to said flange and to each other, means interconnecting the oppositely disposed sections of the several pairs of said side wall sections with said flange, and m-eans for moving said side wall sections to and from a collapsed position.

6. A collapsible basket comprising a bot-V tom wall, a flange rising from said bottom wall, a plurality of pairs of side wall sections each disposed in parallelism above the bottom wall and in slightly overlapped relation with respect to said flange and to each other, a bar loosely connecting the oppositely disposed sections of the several pairs of said sections with said ange, and means for moving said side wall sections to and from a collapsed position.

7. A collapsible basket comprising a bottom wall, a flange rising from said bottom wall, a plurality of pairs of side wall sec-y tions each disposed in parallelism above the bottom wall and in slightly overlapped relation with respect to said' flange and to each other, a bar loosely connecting the oppositely disposed sections of the several pairs of said sections with said flange, and a pair of handles pivotally supported at opposite sides of said bottom wall, each adapted to pivotally connect adjacent ends of their respective sections of the pairs of said side wall sections.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WALTER B. SCHREYER.

Witnesses: Y

MANFORD FRYE, JOHN SUTTON, J r.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for iive cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

